Joy Thomas' first time - Page 7

Claudemir Bonfim · 02-14-2006, 11:31 AM

By the way... 1000 visits Garth!

Joy Thomas · 02-15-2006, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mischa Milosevic

Some years ago I was in a motorcycle accident from which I did not fully recover....
After some serious thought I decided to invest my savings in to art education....
To echo the statement of others I to cannot imagine life without art.

What do you think about doing a few freebies for prominent individuals to get ones name out there?

Thank you again for sharing your experiences and your time with us.

mischa

Our 19 year old son is shopping for a motorcycle at this time and I am in a panic...I wish you would share your story. I want to discourage him.

I looked at your website and was delighted to see your sensitive works...many I feel (if not all) are from life...correct? Your aesthetic committment and financial investment has paid off and now you are ready to market.

You should not give this fine work away. You may offer it at a fund-raising auction for a worthy cause (do you have those?) Just make sure to set a minimum bid and arrange to keep half of that minimum for yourself, the other 1/2 and anything over the minimum goes to the charity. I have success with this.

18 years or more ago, when I was first attempting to build a client base, I made many appointments to show my works to prominent individuals, those with the correct change of course.

If they responded favorably to my work, I would then show them examples by other, more famous, artists (some were even my mentors) I would also show them their fees...and watch as they gasped. Then I would place my own more modest pricelist down to help them relax as I appealed to them to sit for me that I might begin to gain respect of others & secure more commissions as a result. I explained that I had selected them based on their standing in the community and because I was confident that their endorsement would boost my career.

I asked for 50% upon the signing of the contract...the balance due upon delivery of the completed work. When they expressed delight and enthusiasm over the completed portrait(s) I would suggest that they host an unveiling party so I could introduce the work and myself to a new client base, for further encouragement I offered to forgive the final 50% payment if they would help me we secure two commissions with down payments by the end of their unveiling party.

I modeled this approach after Tupperware and Mary Kay parties by the way...are you familiar with those?

Those were fast and furious days, even though I had more rejections than takers... now that I am one of the expensive artists, everyone that turned me down, expresses their regret. Those who took the opportunity thank me profusely when we chance to meet.

Portraits for everyone!
Go for it!

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Michele Rushworth · 02-15-2006, 12:46 AM

Joy, I can see that you are also a master marketer. Some great ideas here!

Joy Thomas · 02-15-2006, 01:11 AM

I do love marketing, Michele...I often wonder if I missed my calling by not going into it as a career in and of itself.

I do not understand why artists are uncomfortable placing a suitable price on their hardwon talent. It seems easy enough to do the math when looking at a client's lifestyle and material wealth, the car(s) they drive, the watches they wear and so on. In the matter of official portraits, there is typically a budget in place. In my experience those budgets are more generous than one might guess.

My marketing approach now is to stress my accomplishments, dependability and successful track record. My contract is completely in my favor, I make all aesthetic decisions and I will not make changes.

That level of confidence is contagious to one's clients especially if one has the skill to back it up, don't you think?

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Claudemir Bonfim · 02-15-2006, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joy Thomas

I looked at your website and was delighted to see your sensitive works.

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

If I were you, I'd copy this sentence and paste it in my website...

Sharon Knettell · 02-15-2006, 10:09 AM

I am not a good marketer, nor am I fabulously well known in the portrait art world but when I do get a commission, or sell a painting, the client pays for it well. Find other ways to supplement you income, anything.

There is a good article in Harpers magazine this month explaining the difference between the player and the worker. it is a bit complex to explain here, but the player, who does not produce anything and usually has the money, tries to get as low a price from the worker (the person who actually produces something). The player, (stockbroker, politician, CEO), generally has contempt for the worker.

I find that if I ask what I think are high prices, the client has MORE respect for me. What I found is they like to brag about HOW much they paid for it, or in the worse case, how they snookered the artist.

High falutin' charity auctions is a good way to get your name known. One of the best marking ploys I have heard on this site is used by Linda Brandon. She offers only a charcoal drawing done from life. It is a win-win situation. If the client only wants the sketch, you get a free live model, if they want an upgrade, you have a full commission only subtracted by the price of the sketch which goes to charity.

Michele Rushworth · 02-15-2006, 10:23 AM

Quote:

My contract is completely in my favor

I wonder, Joy, if you would be so kind as to post a copy of your contract? The Business and Marketing section of this Forum would probably be the best place. My contract could probably use some updating and I'd love to see what you have in place.

In a former life I was a marketing and sales person in a couple of high tech firms. I think that's why I'm comfortable with it, and sometimes it's a nice change after being at the easel for days at a stretch.

I've thought long and hard about my pricing. Until very recently all my commisions have been in the Seattle area, where painted portraiture is almost completely unknown and is compared with portrait photography when it comes to the price. I find I need to sit down and clarify with my clients exactly why this is several times more expensive than what they can get at the local photo studio. Sometimes they get it and sometimes they don't.

Joy Thomas · 02-15-2006, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claudemir Bonfim

If I were you, I'd copy this sentence and paste it in my website...

That's the marketing spirit, Claudemir!
And I thank you for the compliment., you are most kind.

Joy Thomas
www.portraitartist.com/thomas

Joy Thomas · 02-17-2006, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell

There is a good article in Harpers magazine this month explaining the difference between the player and the worker. it is a bit complex to explain here, but the player, who does not produce anything and usually has the money, tries to get as low a price from the worker (the person who actually produces something). The player, (stockbroker, politician, CEO), generally has contempt for the worker.

I find that if I ask what I think are high prices, the client has MORE respect for me. What I found is they like to brag about HOW much they paid for it, or in the worse case, how they snookered the artist.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this concise observation concerning pricing, Sharon...and I have found this to be true as well.

Thanks for mentioning the article..it is a good idea for artists to become familiar with economics, workers rights, union activities, pay scales and so on in the industrial world because professional artists that accept commissions are workers in fact...(without labor organizations to offer protection or negotiate pay)...and like other skilled professionals, they need to be aware of the existing market and know how their "product" compares to the competition.

As a self-employed artist I try to remember that I have entered this profession at great financial risk. Health care, retirement, paid vacation, workman's compensation and the many other benefits that state employees or factory workers enjoy are simply not available to the self-employed artist. With those factors in mind, I set down every quarter and take a hard look at my taxes to determine how much I am really making per year. Typically the results are not actually very impressive when compared to other highly skilled specialists.

Extensive training and years of practice are required to develop the skill set one needs to become an accomplished portraitist. When well executed the product is uniquely rare and will become more valuable with time. Fees should reflect that.

Joy Thomas · 02-17-2006, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michele Rushworth

I wonder, Joy, if you would be so kind as to post a copy of your contract? The Business and Marketing section of this Forum would probably be the best place. My contract could probably use some updating and I'd love to see what you have in place.
.

I'll be happy to do that...I don't have it in a document form in my computer...so I'll put it together this weekend at some point.